Sorting it Out
by Waiting4Dawn
Summary: John wants to put the past behind him. Shayera doesn't want to interfere with him and Vixen.We get our dose of the lighthearted Wally West. Some BM/WW and of course it's HG/GL. Please R & R.
1. Chapter 1: Loose Ends

**A/N Disclaimer: I do not own any DC characters or the Justice League.**

"**W**hat time is it? Wally West asked with a yawn.

Shayera Hol looked up from the Watchtower's security monitor.

Her usual energetic friend was striking a haggard pose.

"Three minutes later then the last time you asked." She answered with a tired sigh.

The two founders of the League had barely had any sleep for at least three days.

Almost the entire League had been away from the Tower' for the past week.

This left Green Lantern,Plastic Man, Supergirl,Flash,Black Canary,Martian Manhunter and of course Shayera to take the responsibilities of the rest of the League.

After getting back to the Watchtower that night Black Canary, Flash and Shayera had decided that Shayera would take the first watch.

"What are you doing up anyway? Shayera asked Wally "You monitor duty doesn't start till after Canary's"

The Speedster shrugged, "'Guess I just couldn't sleep. I'm going to the cafeteria, ya' want anything?" he asked.

"I'm fine" Shay mumbled.

With something that sounded like a 'suit yourself' the Scarlet Speedster was gone.

About a minute later the exhausted Shayera was starting to doze off when she suddenly heard a loud crunching in her ear.

She bolted upright in her chair to see Wally behind her with a bag of potato chips.

Shayera glared at him with her emerald eyes.

"What?" Flash asked, crumbs falling from his mouth.

At the smell of food Shayera's stomach growled.

"Either you were lying about not being hungry or you ate an angry parasite" Wally said with a smirk.

A nearby member of the Watchtower's tec staff heard this and rolled his eyes.

The Thanagarian playfully glared at the Speedster again.

"I'll take over here for a bit, why don't you get something to eat?" Flash offered.

"Are you sure?" Shayera asked.

"Yeah!"Wally exclaimed.

"Thanks" she gladly said as she rose from her chair.

She stretched; spreading her wings and arms wide.

As she walked through the Watch Tower's corridors, Shayera tried to loosen her stiffened muscles.

She walked into the cafeteria and over to the line of vending machines.

The redhead choose a pack of cackers and she made her way back to monitor room.

She increased her brisk walk, looking down as she brushed crumbs off of her.

John Stewart was taking out a box of his things from his room in the Watchtower

A picture of of him and some of his Marine buddies was placed in the box along with a engraved stopwatch from his Grandmother.

He was taking treasured items such as these to his apartment in Detroit.

He collected his things and headed out the door closing it behind him.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw someone coming towards him at a fast pace.

Just as he was turning around to face the person, the body collided with his.

The box that had been in his hands was now on the floor. John prayed that nothing had been broken.

"Why don't you watch where you're going?" John asked gathering his precious things from the floor and not looking to see who had bumped into him.

Shayera had been knocked off her balance and was leaning against the wall she had fallen against.

She had not yet seen who it was but when she heard it's voice, his voice, her heart nearly stopped

_No, no! Not here! Not now! No! _Shay's thoughts raged.

Not wanting to make eye contact she set her eyes to the floor, it was then that she saw something.

On the floor was a picture of Shayera and John. It was before the Thanagarian invasion and the Lantern was beardless.

Shayera's mask had been removed and her emerald eyes shone with laughter. John's arm was around her.

GL saw the photo too and quickly put it back into his box.

He looked over his shoulder at the eyes were on the box.

John chided himself for keeping the photo. The past was gone and he shouldn't hold on to it but, he just couldn't part with the picture.

Green Lantern rose to his feet and he could feel her eyes on his back.

The same inquire was in both their mind; _Why had he kept it?_

John turned around and faced her. "If you'll excuse me I have a date with Vixen." He declared as he brushed past her.

Shayere stood still for a moment before slowly making her way back to the monitor room.

"You' okay?" Wally asked Shayera as she walked into the room.

Shay had always tried to keep her emotions masked, but Wally was one of the few that could see through that mask.

The Thanagarian gave Flash a soft smile. "I'm fine." She said.

_If only that were true, _came the sad thought.

**Soooo you've read the first chapter... now review! Honest opinions please! The more input the more likely I'll add on. :)**


	2. Chapter 2: Breakfast Chatter

In the cafeteria of the Watchtower Diana and Shayera sit at a table eating breakfast.

" So, how are things going with you and Bruce?" Shayera asked her friend.

"What do you mean?" Diana responded, suddenly finding her tray of food very interesting.

" I think you know exactly what I mean, Princess." Shay said, a smirk finding it's way to her lips.

The Amazon looked up at Shayera "If you are speaking of yesterday's battle between the three members of the last Injustice Gang against Bruce and I, it went fine, thank you." Diana said.

"Oh brother," Shayera said, rolling her eyes, " what level of the game are you two at anyway?"

"What game?" A familiar voice asked.

"Saved by the Flash." Diana muttered.

"Oh no, you're not getting off the hook that easily, Diana." Shayera said.

"What hook?" Wally asked after he speeded around the table and sat down next to Diana.

" The hook that Batman isn't biting." Shayera responded.

" Awww, so Bats is still playing that game." The Speedster said.

"Batman rarely 'pla-" Diana's sentence trailed off and a sudden thought caused a blush to shade her face.

All of her two friend's attention was now focused on the Amazon as they waited for her to Diana noticed this her blush darkened.

"What is it, Diana?" Shayera asked sweetly.

Martain Manhunter's voice coming from the comm links and brought all current conversation to a halt.

"All founding members report to the meeting room as soon as possible." J'onn said.

"Be right there, J'onn." Wonder Woman said a smile of relief creeping up on her face.

"We will continue this later,Diana, and don't you forget it." Shayera said sternly.

"Not if I can help it." Wonder Woman said rising from her chair.

"See you two there." Wally said before blurring away.

"So did the remaining members of the League have a hard time filling in for the rest of us?" The Amazon asked as they walked.

"It had it's points, but aside from the lack of sleep things went pretty smoothly." Shayera answered.

"Do you know what the meeting's about?" Diana asked her winged teammate.

"No. Could it be about anything that happened on your space mission?" The redhead asked.

"I'm not sure." Diana said thoughtfully.


	3. Chapter 3: Off With The Cowl!

"For the last time, it was not our fault!" A exasperated John Stewart said.

"Whether or not it was our direct fault of our actions it is a result of our actions. We took a ruler, who was making deadly threats to other worlds including Earth, out of power. Now the world is in complete chaos with battles for power devastating the population." Superman said with a frown, "The end of Corethit could trigger a chain reaction beyond our control and make a force stronger then before."

" Still, we can't be interfering in the wars of other worlds. " Wonder Woman said, " For order the war for power has to run it's course."

" None of those fighting for rule have enough control now to fully take over, we have no business getting into this."Shayera pointed out, " Peace will most likely come after war and not before."

"Debating any longer is not going to do anything but waste time. I believe everyone has come to his or her final decision?" J'onn concluded.

"J'onn is right, let's vote now." Flash pleaded anxiously.

Batman looked at his teammates, " I think we should discuss this issue further and think of the consequences. Apparently we didn't last time." He added.

"What's there left to discuss? We've been her for hours and I'm ready to vote." Shayera said with a sigh.

"All in favor of trying to restore Corethit's order," the Martian said, "all opposed? It appears that we let the war take it's toll." He said after seeing the majority had voted against action.

"It looks like your guilt trip is gonna have to continue, Clark." Flash said.

"Don't be so smug." Superman said rising from his seat.

"No hard feelings right, Sups?" Flash said appearing at The Man of Steel's side.

"Of course not, Wally. Looks like we are going to just have to see how things go." Superman said.

.**************************************************.

"Awww, come on, Diana." Flash begged.

"Not now, Wally. Can't you ask anyone else to play Brawlin' Bots with you?" The princess asked.

The weary super-heroine was half lying, half sitting on a couch in the Watchtower's member lounge.

"I guess, but are you sure? You can be the green bot." Flash said with a grin.

"Why not ask Shayera?" Diana asked the Speedster.

"She's in one of her moods and I don't feel like having my head bitten off." Wally said seriously.

"Wally, there are a dozen other available Leaguers to choose from." Diana said putting a palm to her aching head.

Normally the Amazon might accept the Speedster's invitation, but today she just wanted to relax.

Hearing his teammate's responce Wally's bright expression turned downcast.

"How about another time?" Diasa offered trying to brighten things.

"Sure! Anytime, but tonight." Wally said his usual smile returning to his face.

"Why not tonight?" The Amazon asked, raising a eyebrow.

"Cause' I've already got a date with a beautiful girl." Flash said grinning ear to ear.

"With who?" The Amazon asked her blue eyes twinkling.

"A admirer I meet last week. We're going to this Steakhouse she knows." Flash said fingering a lighting bolt on the side of his cowl.

"Hope it goes well, Wally." Diana said.

"Me too. See ya' later." He said speed off.

Now for some quiet reading...Diana thought opening her book.

"Sorry, but there is no way that their team is gonna win." John said to Superman as they walked into the lounge.

"Oh, Diana! Sorry, I didn't know anyone was in here." John said when he saw Wonder Woman.

"We were about to watch the game, but if you-" Clark started to say before Diana cut him off.

"I don't mind, go right ahead." Diana said quickly.

"You sure?" Lantern asked.

The Amazon nodded her head.

"Thanks." Big Blue said reaching for the remote which lay on a table.

A few minutes later the Amazon sighed after being distracted from her book for the fifth time by the group of League members cheering after a point being scored.

The two founders had been joined by five other members,mostly males, to watch the game.

"How can you read through this?" Black Canary asked Wonder Woman, appearing in the doorway.

"I can't." The princess replied dryly closing her book and rising from her place.

" How about going to the training room then? I need to blow off some steam." Dinah said.

"Why not? Let me just change my clothes." The Amazon said.

"So, what did Ollie do now?" Diana asked as she landed a blow with her left on the punching bag.

"Guess it was pretty easy to figure that one out,huh? Dinah said.

"Kind of. So what's going on?" The princess asked.

"Oh, the usual. Ollie feels the need to protect me during a fight. Almost got himself killed the other day...again. We had a argument about it this morning, that's when I found out that it was more about his male ego then my protection. Men are so thickheaded, stubborn,prideful, pigheaded I could scream!" Dinah said as she brought down a barrage of punches to her punching dummy's midsection.

"You're right, but please don't." Diana said. _I really can't do a Canary Scream now_, Diana thought.

Dinah looked sideways at her friend, "You know what I meant." The women said to Diana right before she kicked her dummy...knocking its head across the room.

"I'm done venting, your turn. How about telling me about Batman?" The blonde said.

"What do you mean?" The Amazon asked, leaning against the cold wall.

"Let's hear you vent on how stubborn Batman is in your relationship." Dinah said in a matter-of-fact voice.

" Have been talking to Shayera?" Diana asked, her blue eyes narrowed.

" Nope. It's pretty easy to tell you know, at least for most women." Dinah said with a smirk.

" Other then what you said, nothing 's the problem." Diana said with a frown.

"I think I know what you're talking about. Bat's cowl doesn't cover up all his reactions and emotions."

" He likes to think so." Diana said with a sigh.

"Why don't you work on getting that cowl off then?" Dinah said an eyebrows raised.

Next:** Suggestions,comments,corrections and other honest reviews please! I have some of the next chapter worked out ,but I still need you guy's input! Thanks.**


	4. Chapter 4: Cindy

**A/N Disclaimer: I do not own any DC characters or that of the Justice League. Really, do you think I'd be writing this if I owned DC comics or Warner Bros? :) **

"**I**'d say we're done that's left now is getting these boys back to prison." Superman said.

"I take it you won't be needing me?" Shayera asked the Man of Steel.

"I doubt it...at least not now. Are you headed back to the Tower'? Superman inquiried

"I was thinking about doing a little flying...to clear my head." She responsed slowly.

Her teammate nodded his head knowingly. "Why don't you take the rest of the day off? You look like you could use it." Superman offered.

Shayera looked down at her clothing. Her pants were torn at the left leg and splattered with mud clay. Her wings were dusty with ashen debris and her red hair was sprinkled with small splinters of wood.

The Flash appeared at Shayera's elbow at that same second.

" That's what happens when a building falls on you!" Wally exclaimed seeing her taking in her appearance.

"It did not fall on me! It fall _around_ me." Shay shot back.

"I think a day off would be nice." She added to Superman.

***********************************************************.

The sunshine reflected off the water, making it look as if someone had left trail of bright fairy dust across the water's surface.

Shayera Hol beat her wings hard through the salty air. For no reason at all she glided over the ocean, dragging her hand through the icey waves sending shivers up her spine.

Shayera's eyes twinkled with carelessness, but the twinkle soon died out as she remembered the matter at hand.

_This is simple, _she thought. _Vixen and John are a couple. John and I are a achieint history._ _If John really loved me he wouldn't be with Vixen.I don't deserve anyone no matter how much I love I don't love him anymore. Those are old feelings._ She shook her head in disgust over her own thoughts.

_How I'm I fooling? Oh wait, that's how this started, I broke people's trust by fooling them into believing I could be trusted._

_Really?_ Another voice in her head said. _You know that's not how it happened!_

_Well, everyone else thinks so, why shouldn't I?_ The first voice said.

_You're kidding right? People trust you with thier lives everyday!_ The second voice said.

"Great," Shay said aloud, "now I'm having conversations in my head. Just a little to close to the edge." She scolded herself in Thanagarian.

She swooped down, grazing the water with the tip of her mace that was attached to her belt.

Her wings were beginning to become tired after the long day, she scouted for some where to take a breather.

She spotted an island that was little more then a large rock with a few plants.

She flew above the place, her emrald eyes looking for movement or figures. She decieded the island seemed to be barren of any one else.

Agsinst her better judgement she gracefully, she landed on the island and sat on it's warm,bright sand.

"Nobody can bother me here..." She said softly, letting herself feel at ease.

"Are you an angel?" A small voice said with awe.

Shayera couldn't have gotten to her feet faster as she spun around to where she had heard the faceless voice.

A few yards away from Shayera stood a small,young girl. The girl's face was pale, her mouth stood out from the rest of her face because of the lipstick she was wearing.

The child wore a denim hat with sparkly beads spelling out the name 'Cindy'. Her faded blue jeans were pulled up to the knee and seemed to be wet at the bottoms. A light blue shirt was worn under her gray windbreaker.

She had short,straight,hazel hair that poked from under her hat and had big chocolate brown eyes. She seemed to be about seven or eight years old.

" Mommy says that you see angels when you die. Am I going to Heaven already? Mommy said I wasn't going to die, but I know I am, I heard her and the docter talking." She spoke in a low tone as if revealing a secret to Shayera.

Shayera's heart went out to the little girl. The thought that the child might be a trap croosed Shay's mind, but she soon banished it from her mind.

The Thanagarian lossened the vice grip on her mace. "What's your name?" She asked the girl.

"My name is Cindy." She said without hesitation, "What's your name?" The girl asked as she stood in a feeble pose.

"Shayera, but I'm not an angel." The redhead corrected.

" You're not?" The little girl said her face falling.

Shayera shook her head. _Far from it_, she thought.

"What about your those?" She girl said pointing to Shayera's outstretched wings.

"They're mine. I'm Thanagarian, all of my people have wings." Shayera said.

"Oh. That's okay, I wasn't ready to go yet anyway." Cindy said with a smile.

"How old are you Cindy?" Shay asked.

"I'll be eight in four months " Cindy said, holding up eight of her little fingers. " I was a seven and a half when Mommy and Daddy told me I was sick."

"Are you here all alone?" Shayera asked her green eyes showing concern.

"No, my-" Cindy started to say.

" Cindy, who are you talking to? You know your not supposed to be wandering off." A women appeared from the brush, a large fishing pole in hand.

The women had eyes just like Cindy's, her hair was long and and dark brown with lighter highlights. She was dressed in an attire similar to Cindy's clothing. Shayera took her to be Cindy's mother.

"Oh, hello." The woman said, staring at Shayera. " Aren't you Hawk-"

" Please, call me Shayera and you are?" The redhead said cutting off the other woman.

"Joanna Harvard, I'm Cindy's aunt." Joanna said as she stepped forward and put a hand on Cindy's shoulder. " A friend of mine is the co-owner of this island. He let's me come out here sometimes." She explained.

"Is there any thing wrong?" Joanna asked worriedly.

"Not that I know of. I thought this island was empty and stopped here to rest a bit." Shay said.

"Can you fish with us?" Cindy begged Shayera.

" I'm sorry, but I have to go now." Shayera said honestly.

"Will you come back?" Cindy asked in a quiet voice, her aunt also waited for the answer.

"I don't know." Shayera said.

"We'll be here next Saturday. Can you came then?" Cindy asked.

Joanna looked at her niece's egaer face. Apperently she had taken a instaint liking to the superheroian.

" I...I...-" Shayera stammered and looked at Joanna

" Please do." Joanna suddenly said.

"I'll try to make it." The Justice League member finally said.

"Thank you." Cindy said as she used what little strength she had to rush forward and hug Shayera's slender waist.

At first the Shay was taken aback of by the gesture, but then hugged the frail girl back.

Later when she was just soaring away, Shay heard Cindy ask her aunt if she thought Shayera looked like an angel.

Shayera shook her head at this and and sighed. _If only she knew the truth_.

**Thank you for reading! Please excuse spelling mistakes that may have slipped by. As for those who REVEIW...thank you so much! The tips and comments have helped more then you know. Okay, you can review now...:)**


	5. Chapter 5: Check Please

"Still trying to break that code, Batman?" Wonder Woman said leaning on Bruce's chair. Her raven hair flowed onto Bruce's shoulder as she leaned over.

The two were in one of the research labs in the Watchtower where the Dark Knight was working on decoding a formula to unlock the secret of a certain weapon's chemically made power.

"Unfortunately, yes. The planet this weapon came from had been under some sort type of Thanagarian rule for a quarter of a century. The code is a combination of the native languages and Thanagarian. There are a few ancient Thanagarian symbols I don't recognize." The caped detective said.

"Wouldn't that be more up Shayera's alley?" Diana asked speaking softly in Bruce's ear.

Batman hunched over, avoiding Diana. "Yes, it would, but a few hours ago she came back to the Tower' showered dressed and, according to Fire, left in a rush. I found out that Superman gave her the day off." He growled.

"Bruce-" Diana started to say something, but was cut off by Batman's stern look

" Relax, it's just us." The princess said. _He can be so overly cautious when it comes to his secret identity,_ the Amazon thought, sighing inwardly.

" We need to talk." Diana said to her teammate, crossing her arms over her chest.

"And what subject would we talk about?" Bruce asked typing commands into the advanced system.

"About us." She said, her blue eyes narrowing.

"There is no _us_, Dania." Bruce said, not making eye contact with the annoyed woman and not wanting to.

"You have said that too many times; it's getting old." She said, her scowl deepening.

" Well _maybe_ that means you should have gotten the hint by now." He said in his deepest Batman voice.

"Maybe." She replied. Wonder Woman walked in front of Bruce, leaning her back against the desk and forcing him to face her.

"I don't have time for this." Bruce said, his voice a monotone .

" Make time _or_ I will force you to." She leaned in close enough for Bruce to feel her breath on the exposed portion of his face. Normally she wouldn't make threats in such a matter, but this time...

"Don't threaten me." He said as his glare heated.

"It's a last resort. Don't make me have to use it." The Amazon said as she backed away.

"You know this could never work as well as I do." He said as he looked eyes with Dania.

"You're wrong, we could make it work. We will never know if we don't try." Dania said. By now all anger had drained from her voice.

" I can't afford to try." He said turning away.

Batman felt a hand on his shoulder. "You mean you can't afford to lose anyone again." The princess said, her voice close to a whisper.

"I don't care how many "issues" you may have. Just give us a chance." She continued, her voice was true and hopeful.

He didn't reply instead he suddenly left his seat and stalked out of the room.

Wonder Woman know it was useless to try to pursue him. Batman was Batman and like always Batman would disappear.

Whither Diana knew it or not, it took everything he had for Bruce to walk out of that room, the room with her in it.

******************************************************.

The woman looked at her date in annoyance. She was dark-skinned, with short black hair and a beautiful figure. She had her elbow propped up on the velvet covered table and her head resting on her hand.

She sat across from her date in the high-class Italian restaurant. The couple had just finished dinner and the place was lit by soft light from a giant chandelier.

She ran her finger around the rim of her wine glass as she sighed.

"John, please tell me you didn't rescheduled this dinner again for you just to stare into space." The women said. The man didn't react.

The woman sighed again. This was the third time John had done this that night. They'd be having light conversation when the former Marine would stop speaking or listening and have a faraway look in his black eyes, as if he were thinking of another time. Of memoirs that he cherished.

The woman kicked the man in the shin under the table with her high-heeled shoe.

The man's head snapped up to attention. His black eyes meet her hazel,brown ones. He had a goatee and beard.

"What was that for, Mari?" The man asked with a frown.

"For you taking a rain check on this date four times only for you to ignore me through the entire dinner." She shot back.

" I thought love didn't keep records?" John asked an eyebrow raised.

"You're one to talk." She said sarcastically.

"Now what's that supposed to mean?" He said with a sigh.

"You were hurt and now you try to ignore your feelings, because you don't want her to hurt you again." Mari said, not batting an eye.

She knew that this issue had to be confronted soon. Sometimes their relationship felt as if it were never real, as if she was just someone that had not betrayed his heart.

" I love you, Mari." He said gazing into her eyes.

"And _only_ me?" She asked not breaking the gaze.

"Do we really have to talk about this _now_?" He asked as he reached over the table and put his hand over hers.

"Unless you are truthful with yourself you cannot be truthful to me." Her voice was unwavering and strong as she spoke.

"I'll see you Saturday." Mari rose from her chair as she said this.

"Mari, I-" John started to say.

"Saturday, John." She then grabbed her stylish purse and walked out of the restaurant.

"A perfect ending to a perfect date." He said shaking his head, "Waiter, check please."


	6. Chapter 6: Not Enough?

**A/N Disclaimer: I do not own the Justice League or any other DC characters.**

The Scarlet Speedster filled his tray, taking a large portion of the food in the Metro Towers breakfast buffet line with him.

He then proceeded to sit down next to the moody Green Lantern, John Stewart.

"Morning, Hotshot." John greeted his joking friend.

" So how's it going, GL?" Flash asked, stuffing a muffin into his mouth.

"Could be worse, I guess." John said as he gave Wally a look that said 'I-don't-want-to-talk-about-it-and-don't-push-it-or-you'll-wish-you-never-asked.'

"Oh..." Wally said immediately shutting up.

"Sorry, I have to go." Lantern said after seeing at the time. He quickly rose from the table. "My monitor duty starts in six minutes."

"Are you gonna finish that?" Wally asked gesturing to John's barely touched tray.

" Have at it." John said rushing away.

In less than a minute Flash had polished off the contents of John's food tray and continued to eat his at a more mannerly pace. At least as mannerly as Flash could be that is.

"You never told me how your date went, Flash." Wally looked up to see Wonder Woman sitting down across from her friend.

"Great!" The superhero said happily, " We're planning on going to a movie tonight."

"Good for you!" Diana said with a smile. A Friday night date... "What kind of movie do you plan on seeing?" She asked .

"I don't know. Leaving that up to her." He said slurping his iced mocha through the straw.

"I guess you really hit it off then." Diana said.

"Yeah, it must be my natural charm. The ladies can't resist." Wally said with a grin, his mouth full with food. He then started to drain the last of his mocha.

" Is there any of that left today?" The princess asked , eyeing the caffeine filled drink.

Instead of answering Flash blurred off, only to return in half a second with two more mochas.

"Thank you, Flash." Diana said, rewarding the Speedster with a smile.

"Sure." He replied as he stuffed his already full mouth with scrambled eggs.

Diana was looking down on her eggs and toast when she sensed someone was standing behind her. She looked back to see her winged teammate watching Flash, who was devouring his food as if it was his last meal.

"What? I gotta' eat!" Flash said realising the attention he was getting from Shayera's sharp green eyes.

Shayera just shook her head and sat down next to Diana.

For the next few minutes the normal lighthearted conversation between the three filled the air. Soon Shayera dropped out of this exchange, which didn't go unnoticed by the Amazon or Speedster.

"What's wrong, Shay?" Flash immediately asked his friend.

"Yes, you seem oddly quiet this morning." Diana added.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm sorry you guys." Shayera said, snapping out of her deep thoughts.

"What were ya' thinking about that could possible be more interesting than me?" Wally asked with a grin.

"Nothing..." The Thanagarain said. This was met with incredulous looks from the two. "Much." The winged woman added to her one word sentence.

Shayera shifted in her chair and her wing twitched nervously.

Seeing that her friend was uncomfortable on the matter Diana tried to change the topic.

"Did either of you hear what the Joker was planning before Batman caught him?" The princess asked.

_Probably selling balloons filled with Laughing Gas to innocent little kids. _Shay thought.

" He released a new toxin he created into all of Gotham's leading citizen's air job was very sloppy and uncreative work for the Joker." The Amazon said. " The Joker is back in Arkham, but Batman doesn't think he did it."

"Just like Bats to make an easy catch complicated." Flash said shaking his cowl covered head.

" I don't know. If Joker isn't the sicko who did it then who is? What's stopping this person from doing more sloppy but deadly work?" Shayera said.

"You got a point there." Flash said agreeing with the redhead.

"I still don't understand why people like the Joker try so hard to make others suffer when they know they will be punished and put away for it in the end. Why not try to live your life and have a positive effect on others at the same time?" Diana said in a half questioning tone.

"Princess, if we know that we wouldn't be here right now." Shayera stated, propping an elbow on the table.

Flash put a hand to his ear, listening to his comm link. "I'm on it. Flash out." Wally to J'onn over the link.

"There's trouble in Central City. I'm needed!" Flash said dramatically.

"Please tell me why he's considered an adult." Shayera said sarcastically to Wonder Woman as Wally blurred away.

"Okay, what's wrong, Shay?" Diana asked, facing her teammate. Diana looked her straight in the eye, her sapphire gaze unwavering.

Knowing there wasn't a chance of avoiding the subject the Thanagarian told her what was on her mind.

" I'm just don't get why innocent people are hurt for no reason. I thought it was supposed to be 'You reap what you sow'? What about those who have done nothing wrong? Sure, they make some mistakes, but it's not right that things happen to them. A little kid who is perfectly innocent can get sick and _die_! An old man who has never hurt anyone gets stuck in the crossfire and has his life ended! Someone is hurt because of the way they look, their religion or simply because they're in someone's way. I was brought up in a war-like world. I was trained as a child to fight and to finish a mission no matter what it took. I was trained to kill, to not have a conscience, to be a loyal soldier at all costs and to never look back. But, how can anyone ignore the hurt and pain even if it's not your own? It's just so...so unfair." Shayera finished and let out a sigh.

_What am I supposed to say?_ Diana thought. "Shay, we can't stop all bad things from happening to good people, but we can protect them against other things. Remember? That's why we started the League." The Amazon said.

"Is that enough?" Shayera asked.

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Once again thank you for the reviews! Please includ any suggestions in the next ones. Have a great morning,night,day,evening,afternoon ect! :) Please review...(author gives puppy eyes)**


	7. Chapter 7: No Time

J'onn's POV

_Perhaps I shouldn't' stay. After all, it is obvious that they have strong feelings for one another. Their body language, the way they act when together and a number of other things says it clearly. They are entitled to their privacy. I will speak to Batman later. He needs to settle things with Diana_.

I phase out of the wall and turn around to face a certain Thanagarian.

"Shayera, you startled me." I say nervously.

She only looks at me in a suspicious manner with her emerald eyes.

_Why must I make my anxiousness so blatant?_

"Right...J'onn, would it be alright if I take tomorrow off?" She asks me.

"I'm sure that would be possible." I tell her.

_Shayera has been taking more time off than usual...it's none of my concern. On the other hand she is a League member, a founder at that, not to mention a valued friend..._

" Shayera, is there anything wrong?" I ask before I can consider it any longer.

At first her expression is blank, then it changes to one of worry.

"No,J'onn. I'm fine." She says half heartedly.

"Are you positive?" I ask skeptically.

_She doesn't desire to discuss this situation, if there is one,_ I think.

" I'm absolutely, without a doubt, positively sure that I'm fine." She says with a small smile.

_I will not pry_.

"Very well then." I say as I turn,not really believing her.

.*********************************************************************.

Shayera walked back to her room.

_Oh God, I wanted to tell him, if any could give help it would be him. _She thought, reflecting on her conversation with the Martian.

_But, I've already burdened one friend with a concern_.

She punched in the code to her quarters and the door opened for her. With a sigh she entered her room, closing the door behind her.

Hanging on the wall was Shay's beloved mace. On the nightstand that stood next to the neatly made bed was a lamp and a stack of thick, heavy books. A plain chair in the corner was covered with more books and papers filled Thanagarian writing.

Shayera sat on her neatly made bed. She fingered a gray downy feather that had lay upon the bed.

_I'm not good with kids. I don't even have any experience with kids. Heck, I don't even have much experience as a kid...warriors-to-be don't have waste to be children. _

Flashback

_She sat with her knees against the dirty, cold floor. A form they resembled a cot sagged behind her. _

_She had small gray wings and wore a plain mask, as most of the other children in the 'room'._

_"Hol! What do you think you're doing?" A harsh voice barked in Thanagarian._

_The young girl, who looked to be about ten years of age, looked up at the Thanagarian woman the voice belonged to._

_The older Thanagarian wore the mask of a instructor and a decorated officer. A deep scar could be seen running from the open eye slits in the mask down to her partly exposed neck._

_"I...I was only...-" The child struggled to get the words out._

_"Speak up! Or would you rather have me beat it out of you?" The cruel instructor threatened._

_"No! I mean...I." Once again the girl stammered in her speech. _

_The child's emerald eyes reflected the fear that often raged through her body and gripped her young, fragile heart._

_"I see that you are willing to-" The instructor's next threat was cut off as her dark eyes caught the sight of something in the child's hand._

_"What do you have there?" The woman said, an ugly smirk on her lips._

_"No, please. It's all I have! Please..." The girl frantically said as she hugged the object to her small body. _

_"Hand it over, Hol." The woman ordered._

_The girl remained in her position, terrified. " But-"_

_"Hand it over, NOW!" The pitiless woman raged._

_The child reluctantly handed over the small object, her head bowed low, making her red hair fall over her thin shoulders._

_The older Thanagarian studied the object. _

_It was a small figurine carved with crude features and worn,paling color and large folded wings. _

_"What is this foolish waste?" The woman demanded. The _

_The child did not answer, which resulted in the woman yanking her hair back forcing her to face the woman._

_"Please. It's the only thing I have left. Don't take it." The girl said, forcing herself to speak calmly._

_" You may have it..." The instructor spat._

_Then the woman released the girl's hair of the vice grip and threw the figurine to the floor, shattering it into a hundred pieces._

_" Every fragment." The woman said, the ugly smirk returning. " Warriors do not waste time for such ignorance, true warriors fight for the Empire and for honor..not for such foolishness." _

_The girl only looked at the remains of her treasure._

_" Do you understand?!" The woman asked._

_"Yes." The girl said quietly._

_"Very well then..." _

Flashback Ends

**So what did you think? Please review! Next update may take awhile...**


	8. Chapter 8: Less Time to Think

**A/N That's right ! I finally updated! A HUGE thanks to everyone that has reviewed! Hope you enjoy chapter eight. Disclaimer: I do not own any DC charecters...at all!**

The side of the city's beloved Museum was but a mere crumbled wall now. The blaring of the alarm and flashing of the red light in the night brought several police cars to the scene but, the law enforcement stayed at a distance.

"Oh, how cute. They've sent the little cowboy. What happened? Did the rodeo decide they had enough clowns?"

"Them's mighty uppity words for someone who'd take such low, cheap shots." Vigilante said.

"Is that right?" Star Sapphire asked, a sly grin crossed her face.

"I think we both know 'da answer to that there question, missy."

" I don't know...how about I show you mine?" She shot violet beam at the League member.

Vigilante ducked out of the beams reach and rapidly shot his guns at the woman while in a crouched position.

Star Sapphire was not hit by his fire as she quickly threw up a shield she had created. "Your little justice friends must be in bad shape to send you." she mocked.

Vigilante's eyes narrowed. Suddenly, he saw movement behind Sapphire but, quickly glanced away.

Ollie Queen tried to ignore the aggressive pain that raged through his head. He lay in a pile of bricks from the now crushed wall behind him. He tried to push away the blackness that threatened to once again cut off his vision and thoughts.

From the rubble Green Arrow reached for his quiver. He slowly pulled an arrow out, trying to not attract attention.

To Vigilante's dismay Star Sapphires eyes traveled to the rubble and Ollie. Vigilante attempted to distract her by sending a wall of fire power from his guns at her shield.

Sapphire dropped her shield and shot a energy beam to Vigilante's chest.

The blow sent Greg flying to the torn ground and slamming his head to the hard ground. Blood trickled from his nose, turning his bandanna a darker shade of red.

"Hold that thought, cowboy..." The dark smile passed over her lips again.

Arrow took advantage of this chance and shot his arrow to Sapphire. His position was somewhat awkward but, he had a clear aim at the villainness.

The arrow flew at Sapphire's side. When it was only inches away Sapphire saw it and threw up a new protection bubble.  
On impact to the energy shield, the arrow exploded. The force sent the hovering Sapphire and her shield down.

"Oh, you did not just do that. You little-" Star Sapphire cut off her own rant as she let her anger show through bursts of fire towards Arrow's direction.

Arrow ducked behind a giant slab of what was once a wall to find refuge from the fire power.

Sapphire calmed and allowed the smile to play on her face. "Hide and seek, Robin Hood?"

She effortlessly blasted the wall Arrow was behind away, leaving the archer unshielded.

Ollie aimed another arrow at Sapphire only to have it wrapped in a an energy cloak and stopped in midair.

"Finally awakened from your nap I see." With that last statement, Sapphire shot a beam at Arrow meant to keep him down.  
The force sent Green Arrow to the ground pushing him back into his previous state of unconsciousness.

A familiar war cry split through the air as a winged figure jumped in front of Green Arrow and batted the ray off with her mace.  
Shayera started to close up the space between her and Sapphire as she fought off the violet beam.

When she was only a few feet away, Shayera jumped forward and swung her now, crackling with energy, mace at Sapphire's side.

Sapphire flew across the street and slammed into the side of a brick office building.

Shayera swooped to the building with a few powerful beat of her wings. She took a defensive stance and a she approached.

The former Hawkgirl came to the entrance of the hole Star Sapphire's body had made in the building. Shay's eyes searched but, Sapphire was not there.

The Thanagarian cried out in pain as a energy beam assaulted the the portion of her back that was between her wings. She was slammed into the building and the beam continued to assault her.

Sapphire stepped out from the shadows and increased the strength in the bright ray.

With all her effort Shayera pushed herself from the ground and gripped her mace in both hands. The League member spun around and swung her mace at Sapphire.

Sapphire moved out of the weapon's reach. She created up another shield, which Shayera demolished in a single blow of her mace.

From there Sapphire threw out fire power at Shayera to simply keep her from getting in range of her.

Shayera didn't have a hard time batting off the shoots with her mace and soon sent a blow to Sapphire that knocked her cold.

By now Vigilante was beginning to open his Arrow lay on the ground, dried blood on the back of his head clumping his blonde hair together.

The authorities took Star Sapphire away and the three heroes were transported back to the MetroTower.

Shayera stuck around the MetroTower to see how Green Arrow was and before she could be transported back to theWatchtower, she was assigned to another mission.

She didn't mind. _Less time to think, less time to hurt. Less time to remember…_

.*********************.

"Trust me, if I could have avoided blowing up the warehouse, I would have!" Flash said defensively.

"Go away...now."

"No really, Bats! Besides, I put the fire out."

"I'm trying to work." Batman glared at Wally long and hard.

"I'll be going now. See ya, Bats." Flash said cowering away from the glare.

Flash sped down the hall of the Watchtower. Pondering his date later that night.

_Only a few more hours till my date with Linda. Won't take long to get ready with super speed… what kind of flowers should I get her? Roses? Hmm…What about candy or..._

He reached his quarters and punched in his security code. The door slid open, Wally flopped onto his messy bed and sighed.

_I wonder what she sees in me. She was crazy 'bout the Flash, but she's not dating the Flash. She dating Wally West! I wonder if-_

There was a soft knock at the door. "Flash?"

Wally jumped up and speed to the door. "Hey, John! What's up?"

The Green Lantern looked awkward standing in the hall. " Can I...?"

"Oh, yeah! Sorry." Wally opened the door wider and closed it once the Lantern had walked in.  
John stood with his hand behind his head, as Wally knew he often did when he was nervous or in anxiety. as he turned to the Speedster.

"Has Shayera told you anything about how she feels about.…Mari and I?"

Wally took a long look at John. _Does he think that it doesn't hurt Shayera to see him with Vixen?_

"No, she's never spoke one word against Vixen... or you. Why?" the words came out in a curt,defensive tone that made Wally cringe. He couldn't help it.

Wally really was like Shayera's little brother and it hurt him when she was hurting. When his big sister's eyes dulled with the pain, he felt angry and wanted protect her from all the hurt. Yeah, Wally had been hurt by her when she left after the invasion but, that didn't mean that he didn't love her. He was one of the first to forgive...to understand.

"I just...wanted to know how she was"

"John, why don't you try talking to her? "

John avoided Flash's questioning gaze, shifting his unnaturally green eyes away.

"You know I can't do that, it would be too... awkward."

_Awkward or painful?_ Wally thought.

A heavy silence filled the air as the two heros tried to read each other.

"I have to be heading back to Central City." The Speedster said to opened the door and stepped out.

GL nodded his head in understanding and left._ I don't understand that guy_, Wally thought, he shook his head and zipped off to the teleporters.

**You've read it, now review it!:)**


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